The Champion of Lyoko
by Rurouni-Sano
Summary: When Lyoko was created, someone had to protect it. Enter Kenue, the Champion of Lyoko and defender of Aelita. Chapter 6 up: The Way and the Master.
1. Chapter 1

The Champion Of Lyoko

_Hey there. I enjoy this show, and I always wondered one thing; how did Aelita survive before the group came along? For those of you who also wonder, this will answer your questions. By the way, this happens after season two ends. Enter, the Champion of Lyoko!_

_Rurouni Sano_

_I only own the Champion of Lyoko in the following story._

I stood up and shook my blonde head. I then looked around, taking in what had appeared before me. It looked like I was in a forest, but…. not quite. "Where the hell am I? More importantly, who am I?" I felt something heavy appear in my hand, and looked down at it. It was a spear. Suddenly, weird robot creatures surrounded me. Then, I knew what to do…

* * *

I did not know how long it was before an old man and a young girl, presumably his daughter, appear before me. I was walking through the "ice region" when the red headed girl and grey haired man showed up.

"Kenue, take care of her. Her name is Aelita," the old man said. Somehow, I knew that was my name. From then on, Aelita was under my protection. But still…

"What about you? Why not take care of her yourself?"

"I … cannot. I … must do something…" Then, the old man faded away. It was then that I noticed that the girl was unconscious. I picked her up gently, and then carried her to a place I knew was safe. It was a tower, a place where no monsters could get. I took her in, and turned to go. I did not wish to be seen by her. I preferred to be alone, and thought that this girl would be better off not knowing about me. As I walked out, I vowed to protect her, no matter the cost. Somehow, I knew, she must not be taken.­­

* * *

From then on, the monsters seemed to be getting more and more restless. I had to be vigilant constantly. Only once did the girl, Aelita, get hit. She might have seen me then, but only a glimpse, if that. It was a long time before I got any help, if it could be called that. It was then that the overlord of "Lyoko" X.A.N.A. became active. Monsters came more rapidly, too much for me to handle. Somehow, I felt that its activity affected the ones who could appear and disappear at will. They did help, it's true. But, I thought that it was them who caused X.A.N.A. to do what it did.

I studied the trio for a while, and evaluated their skills. I only took on the hardest monsters, and they seemed to think they were dong well. They were protecting Aelita, and thought that whoever was doing this was trying to fool me. But, they took no notice of me.

Later on, I noticed that Aelita did not come out of the tower. The trio was previously defending a tower, and got beaten by some of the weakest creatures. However, they soon departed, and Aelita had not come out, like usual. Risking being seen, I went into the tower to see Aelita. To my surprise, she wasn't there. I tried to locate her, but all that came up was Code: Earth. I did not understand….

­­­

* * *

I later discovered that Aelita had been devirtualized. She was like the trio from before: she came and went as X.A.N.A. acted up again and again. Also, they discovered the fifth sector, Carthage. I found it early on, when I had first been programmed. It helped ease my "mind", if you could call it that. Some strange things also began to happen. For example, the world I knew had disappeared a couple of times… But since I was an independent program, I was locked into an empty void. Also, the overlord of Lyoko became stronger every once in a while. As he got stronger, so did his slaves. They are his slaves; they are not willfully serving him. They are simply energy, and when he gets a hold of them, they form into his creatures. He could not get me, however; I was too strong to fall under his will.

Then, it happened. X.A.N.A. got loose. I then knew I would have to reveal myself. For my world, and theirs.

_Well, whatcha think? Not as good as other works, but I believe it will get better. And longer, trust me. This was more like his thoughts up to the end of the second season. Well, till we meet again._

_Rurouni Sano._


	2. Chapter 2

The Champion of Lyoko

By Rurouni Sano

_Well, I do love a good flame. In fact, I have received my first flame ever from the first chapter of this story. Call me crazy, but I believe that a flame helps a writer develop. I won't go into details about it, but I will say these two things. One, if you are planning to read a fic, READ it. And two, pay attention to whatever the fic is about. I'm pretty sure that there is nothing to reflect your image in Lyoko._

_Anyways…Within this chapter, Kenue will introduce himself to the group. Read and enjoy._

_Rurouni Sano_

_I only own Kenue, not the show._

Kenue

Kenue watched as the four figures head to the tower with the red glow, foolishly charging into a trap. Sighing, even though he knew better, he ran ahead of them, and jumped in front of the group.

The Team

Ulrich stopped as the figure appeared in front of him. The figure was tall, seemed to be in his twenties, had long blonde hair, and green eyes. He also carried a slim spear in his hands. He drew his katana as the rest of the group caught up.

"Guys, watch out for the monsters ahead of you!" Jeremie said to the group.

"Don't worry, Einstein, we see him." Odd got into his battle position and waited for the new figure to make his move.

"It seems like X.A.N.A. has gotten powerful enough to come up with a new type of monster," Aelita said.

"New monster?" Jeremie asked. "But it's just supposed to be a couple of blocks."

"Then who is this? Jeremie, is there someone else on Lyoko?" Ulrich asked.

"Hold on, let me check it out." Jeremie punched a few keys, but nothing positive came up. "No, he can't be. He must be a program. But, there's nothing for him there; no life points, nothing! Give me a few more minutes."

"I don't think he's gonna give us that, Jeremie," Ulrich said. He then charged at the approaching figure. "Triplicate!"

Kenue

Kenue watched as the boy with the sword ran around him in a triangle formation. Sighing, he timed his blow and knocked out two of the tree clones. "Fool! Never attack someone who will know what you will do, especially if he's an ally," Kenue said, as he blocked some of the arrows coming from the one with the tall blonde hair with a purple streak. He then turned to Aelita, who was backing away and blocked off by the only other girl. Yumi, he believed. "Get out of the way, girl. Allow me to approach Aelita." Kenue walked towards the two girls, all weapons trained on him except for the katana wielder, who was behind him. As he neared the girls, Yumi backed towards Aelita, still trying to protect her from him. "Girl, I said _move_." He pushed her out of the way, and again a few more arrows whizzed by him, though two or three did hit him. Though he barely felt the arrows, he still turned towards the one who had shot at him. "Boy, you'll regret that…"

The Team

Ulrich and Yumi watched as the tall man approached Odd. As he raised his spear, Ulrich nodded. On cue, they both attacked him at once, though Odd did get hit, and was devirtualized. However, the attacks did not seem to phase him at all.

But the ground beneath them shook, and Aelita fell towards the virtual sea, and, in a blink of the eye, was saved by the man who had seemed to be fighting them. "Forgive me, Aelita, for I have failed you. I would have better protected you if I had shown myself." He picked her up and put her back on the ground. He then turned towards the others. "If I had, maybe these goons wouldn't have come here."

"What's he doing?" Jeremie asked.

"Well, you were right; he has to be a program on Lyoko; he can't be hurt by our weapons."

"What are you waiting for? Go do your thing, and I'll do my job. And by the way, my name in Kenue." He then turned and ran towards the tower, and was soon followed by a series of all-to-familiar blasts.

"Who is that guy?" Ulrich asked as Aelita ran into the tower. Aelita, however, did not ask any questions, for now one of her questions were answered about her past on Lyoko, and now others can be answered. Now, she knew who had protected her, and whom she had seen a long time ago….

Sorry again about the shortness, but this needed to be finished. I didn't know this would as popular as it is. Thus far, I have no ideas about the next chapter, but don't worry; I won't fail you guys.

_Rurouni Sano_


	3. Chapter 3

The Champion Of Lyoko

By Rurouni Sano

_First off, I would like to apologize for the long update; as some of you may know, I was visiting my dad all summer, and hardly had a chance to write. I would like to thank those who have been waiting patiently, I hope, for the next chapter. Well, I pray that you will enjoy the next installment._

_In this chapter, Aelita has some question for Kenue… But will he answer them?_

_I do not own Code: Lyoko._

**The group, in Jeremies' room**

"So, what are we going to do about this guy?" Yumi asked, sitting on the bed next to Aelita.

"Well, there's not much we can do," Jeremie replied, hitting a few keys on the keyboard. "All of the tests I ran came back negative; he's a part of Lyoko as much as X.A.N.A. is."

"Can we keep an eye on him?" Ulrich asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Mostly, but I'm pretty sure he can block us out, so to speak," Jeremie said. He turned in his swivel chair. "You don't trust him, do you?"

"Well, I would like to know why he's been hiding from us all of this time. If he's as good as he looks, he should've helped us whenever we were in a tight spot, like when Aelita got the rest of her memory stolen."

"He probably had his reasons. He might not be able to go to all of the places we can, or at the same time," Yumi said. "I think we should trust him. He's obviously a good guy, or he would've fought us alongside X.A.N.A."

"I'm with the Ulrich; where was he during our tough fights? Besides, there's no way to actually prove he's always been there," said Jeremie.

"I agree with Einstein," Odd said. He was sitting on the floor, scratching Kiwi absentmindedly. "I don't think we can trust him."

"Actually, I do think he has been there…" Aelita half-whispered. Everyone turned to look at her.

"What was that Aelita?" Jeremie asked.

"I think I saw him, a long time ago… But it was only a glimpse, nothing more. In fact, it could've been my imagination… Forget I said anything." Aelita stared down at the floor. Everyone just went back to their thoughts, and Jeremie turned back to the computer, and ran a few more tests.

**Later, that night**

Aelita breathed the cool night air. She had just barely made it out of the dorm, and was heading towards Yumis' house. She needed some help, but she couldn't trust the others to do it for her. She hit a number on her phone, a number she had long since remembered, and heard the phone begin to ring. After the first ring, she heard someone pick up.

"Aelita, what is it?" Yumi asked. She sounded as if she had been waiting for someone to call.

"I need your help; I need to get into Lyoko," Aelita responded, and quickened her pace.

"Why didn't you get Jeremie? He's better at it than I am. Besides," Yumi said, cutting off Aelitas' protests. "You can do it yourself."

"I know, but I need someone to listen while I talk to him." Aelita quickened her pace. "I don't think the others will believe me if I was the only one."

Yumi hit her head against her desk, and gave up. Aelita obviously wasn't going to give up on this, and she would go, even if she had to go alone. Besides, she needed someone to watch her back.

"Fine," Yumi said. "I'll meet you at the factory." Then Aelita heard the line disappear.

**The same night, at the Factory**

Aelita took a deep breath as she stepped into the scanner. Yumi was at the super-computer, trying her best to stay awake. She had just found the man they were looking for in the forest region, and would give Aelita the coordinates when she got there. Hopefully, X.A.N.A. would be asleep like she should, but she didn't want to count on that.

Soon enough, Aelita appeared on the map, and Yumi mumbled the coordinates to her friend.

"Sorry, Yumi, I didn't quite catch that," Aelita said.

"He's a little North and East of where you are… I'm sorry I can't be more specific; the numbers are kinda blurry."

"Ok, then, I'll go there."

Aelita ran in the general direction of where Yumi had told her where their 'friend' was. Suddenly, he appeared in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, glaring down at her.

**Kenue POV**

He had asked her the question more harshly than he had intended, but he hadn't fought in a while, and was getting antsy. The Overlord wasn't usually this quiet.

"I have some questions for you," The little pink girl said.

"Ok. Only know that I may not be obliged to answer all of your questions," he responded. He then sat on the ground.

He saw that Aelita was a little taken aback, but she joined him on the ground.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"I am Kenue." Was the response.

"Ok, Kenue. Why are you here?"

"I was created to protect Lyoko, and you, Aelita. Other than that, I have no other purpose."

"Wait, you were created? You aren't from Earth?"

"What is Earth?"

Aelita just stared at him. He took it that Earth was where she was from, and he had just asked a question to which the answer was obvious.

"Forgive me…" he mumbled.

"What happened to my father?" Aelita suddenly asked.

"I'm afraid… that I cannot answer that question," replied Kenue.

"Why not?" she demanded.

"You are too delicate for the truth," he replied, and stood up.

Aelita glared at him. Kenue thought that he had offended her, but it was true. If she really knew the secret behind Lyoko…

"You think that I'm too delicate? Me, who has survived Lyoko for my entire life?" she shouted.

"Only because I was there! You still think that you were alone, and unprotected!" Kenue roared back at her. He glared down at her, and then turned away. "You should go. You are tired, and monsters are approaching. X.A.N.A. knows that you are here."

Aelita opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by Yumi. "He's right. Go back to the Tower, and I'll get you out of there."

Aelita, recognizing defeat, turned and ran back to the Tower.

_Well, that one is certainly longer than the others. Tell me your thoughts, be they good or evil. I'll work on this soon enough!_

_Rurouni Sano_


	4. Chapter 4

The Champion of Lyoko

Well, well, well. We meet again. This is the fourth installment of Kenue's tale. In the following writing, the others are informed about Aelita's interview. But, how do they find out, you say? Read on, says I.

_Rurouni Sano_

_I do NOT own Code: Lyoko_

_But it would be kick-ass if I did._

After School the next day, in Jeremy's room

"Well, X.A.N.A. hasn't showed up in a while…" Odd remarked, lying on the floor.

"Maybe Aelita was right about Kenue," murmured Ulrich. "Nah, I still can't trust him," he continued.

"I don't know what you guys are complaining about; I'm still a little sore from the last mission," Yumi said.

Jeremy just sat at the computer, working on some discreet project that the others probably wouldn't understand. Aelita and Yumi just sat on the bed, the latter yawing quite frequently.

"So, how was your night, Aelita?" Jeremy suddenly asked, breaking the silence. He turned in his chair, and faced the rest of the team.

"It was ok. Nothing really happened," she said quietly, looking down at the floor.

"Really? Then how come I saw you on Lyoko last night? Talking with that man!" Jeremy accused.

The other guys just stared at Aelita, mouths open.

"You were spying on me?" Aelita asked angrily. Odd and Ulrich tried to get out, but somehow their legs wouldn't respond; they knew that when Aelita got mad, things went pretty nasty.

"Well… Yeah!" replied the genius, shame apparent on his face. "I thought I told you to not go near him!"

"I'm not a child, Jeremy! I can't believe that you won't trust me!" She rushed out of the room, and slammed the door.

"Smooth, Romeo…" Odd said.

"Shut it, Odd," Jeremy mumbled.

"She's right, you know," Yumi said from the door. "You seem to forget that she is part of the team, and she knows what she's doing, considering that she's been on Lyoko most of her life." She then turned to follow Aelita.

"I couldn't agree more; I protected her there," a voice interjected, coming from the computer.

Jeremy turned angrily to the computer. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"So touchy…" Kenue said nonchalantly. "I just want to know why Aelita needs to be under constant watch," he continued.

"Just go away!" he shouted, and closed the window on the computer. He turned to the others, but found that they had all left. He growled in frustration, and then turned back to the computer only to find that Kenue had returned.

"You know, you really shouldn't lose your temper so easily…" Kenue said, mocking the boy.

"Why are you here?" Jeremy demanded again.

"I thought I told you; I want to know why you don't trust Aelita to take care of herself. She knows how to survive in Lyoko, unlike you four."

"Do I have to remind you that you claim that you protected her all along?"

"I did; I'm not denying that. But, she did indeed survive. Even I can't protect her from everything," Kenue said, disappointment filling the last words.

"What's that supposed to-" But Jeremy didn't get to finish his question, for the screen went black. He tried to turn it on again, but nothing worked, not even his laptop when he tried to access Lyoko.

"X.A.N.A…" Jeremy said. He stood up, went to the door, and then realized that he didn't know where his friends were.

Aelita's room

Aelita was sobbing into her pillow as Yumi knocked on the door and walked in. "You ok, Aelita?" she asked.

"Not really," she replied. "I just want to be alone."

"Aelita, he just cares about you," Yumi continued.

"And he cares about you and the others, but he wouldn't have said anything about it if any of you have gone," Aelita said, burying her face in the pillow.

"Look, he just-" Yumi began, but was cut off as the door opened again. This time, it was Jeremy.

"X.A.N.A. has struck out again. Let's go," he said, and they heard him run down the hall.

"Come on, Aelita, maybe beating X.A.N.A. again might cheer you up," Yumi said. She then stood up and headed for the door.

"Thanks, Yumi, for caring," Aelita said as she dried her tears.

"No problem, it's what friends are for," the black haired girl said, and led Aelita out of the building.

"Dammit," Ulrich mumbled, as he looked outside.

"What's wrong?" Aelita asked, as the two girls approached.

"It's a hail storm; X.A.N.A. somehow got control of the weather," the boy replied.

"Well, let's just go the other way, then," Odd suggested, as the group ran for the underground passage. But as they got to the sewers, they saw that it was flooding.

"We're wasting too much time, let's just go!" Ulrich said, and he started running down the flooded path.

The others followed him, and with little injury they made it to the factory. They saw smoke coming from the building, but Odd and Ulrich charged in and led the way.

"We don't have a lot of time, just get in and go," Jeremy said, as he left the others in the elevator.

As the rest of the group got to the third floor, they heard Jeremy say, "Send in Yumi, Odd, and Ulrich in first; there are a lot of monsters out, and some I don't recognize."

As he said this, Ulrich thought to himself, _Maybe Kenue was right. Maybe, there are tougher creatures out there._ Then, Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi entered the pods, leaving Aelita by herself. When they found themselves in Lyoko, they were surprised by what they saw.

Well, it seems that X.A.N.A. has indeed gotten stronger. What type of creatures are they going to face now? And why is Kenue disappointed in himself. More importantly, will Jeremy and the other guys ever trust him? Find out in Chapter 5.

_Rurouni Sano_

_Will also try to bring up the word count on this; should be on at least 4000 words by now!_


	5. Chapter 5

The Champion of Lyoko

It's been a while since I last updated…anything. But oh well. It's not like anyone is waiting. But, I do promise to include a couple of good fight scenes.

_Rurouni Sano_

_I do NOT own Code: Lyoko_

_But it would be kick-ass if I did._

On Lyoko, Forest Region

Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd fell from the sky and landed in various ways. Ulrich came down running, Yumi dropped down, and Odd crouched. When they saw what surrounded them, they were paralyzed with shock.

"Well, it seems that you guys were able to join the party," A voice said from behind them. Kenue appeared from behind a tree, taking out a 'new' creature. "So don't just stand there! Move it!" At this, Kenue ran and took out another of the same.

"What are these things?" Ulrich asked, as he blocked its' sword. They looked human, but they were all black and had no distinctive features. Also, they carried a sword like Ulrich's, but they were black as well.

"They're a lot like you, let me just tell you that," Kenue said, taking out another. "But, they come with a surprise." Then, he went back into the fray.

_Man, this guy is good_ Ulrich thought as he fended off the swordsman. After beating it off, he saw that the others were doing well by themselves, so he took off after Kenue.

"Ulrich!" Jeremy shouted. "Where are you going? There are too many creatures around, and I just sent in Aelita! You have to stay with the others."

"We can take care of her ourselves, Jeremy," Yumi said, taking out a block.

"You go on, Ulrich, we can handle it," Odd said.

Ulrich nodded, then charged after Kenue.

After escaping from many near-death situations (Jeremy had long given up on trying to scold him), Ulrich caught up with Kenue. However, he was not alone.

"So, Kenue, we meet again," a tall, brown-haired woman said, wielding a long katana.

"Siyri, it hadn't been long enough," Kenue responded. "So, why are you here this time?"

"Same old, same old. Just X.A.N.A. trying to take over the world," Siyri said. "Why don't you just give it up? You know that our master will win in the end. There is not way those twerps, even with your help, will ever defeat us." She stopped, and then looked at Ulrich. "It seems that one of them has found us."

Suddenly, she jumped at him. Ulrich lifted his sword up in time, but it got knocked out of his hands. Siyri lifted her blade to defeat him, but Kenue jumped in front of Ulrich and warded the blow off. She then blew a kiss at Kenue and disappeared.

Ulrich just stood shocked at what had just happened. However, Kenue just turned around and punched the teenager.

"You fool! You could've gotten yourself killed!" he shouted.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Ulrich managed to sputter out.

"It's what you humans call a 'virus'. If she takes away your life points with her weapon, it will not devirtualize you, it will kill you." Kenue then turned around and began walking off. "Since she's gone, those other monsters should've disappeared. You go back to the others."

Just then, Ulrich found himself back in the science classroom, listening to the teacher's lecture. Sighing, he picked up his pencil and took notes for the second time that day.

Later that night, in Jeremy's room

"So, who was she?" Ulrich asked, as Kenues face appeared on the screen.

"Who?" Jeremy asked, and then saw Kenue. "You go away!"

"She is one of the five generals of X.A.N.A.," Kenue responded. "She was Siyri, and she's in charge of the Forest Sector. Each sector has a general, and each general has her own group of monsters."

"They're all girls?" Odd asked.

"Why are you so surprised, Odd?" Yumi asked, and turned to him. "Girls can be just as strong as men can."

"But have male generals would be more beneficial, wouldn't it?" he continued.

"I do not even know why all of them are girls," Kenue said as Jeremy furiously clicked the x button in the corner. "You won't give up, will you?"

"Not until you go away!" Jeremy said as he kept hitting the button.

"Why don't you just turn off your computer?" Odd asked.

"I'm still working on a way to defeat X.A.N.A."

"Well, if you really want me gone," Kenue said. "Then I'll go. But then, you won't know what to do about the five generals. Go to bed, and I'll let you know in the morning."

"Why?" Aelita asked her natural curiosity piqued.

"It is late, for one, and you humans need rest; Especially you Jeremy," Kenue replied. "And two, you'll need clear heads when I explain this to you. It might get a bit confusing." Kenue then disappeared. And so did all of Jeremy's work.

"What the?" Jeremy said, and tried to reboot the computer. "He's taken control of it!"

"Not surprising. He seems to be similar to X.A.N.A. in some ways," Ulrich said.

"Maybe he is really trying to help us," Yumi said. "I agree, we should get to bed. We need our rest in case he attacks again. Night guys, I'm going home." Yumi then left the room, followed by Aelita.

"I guess he is right," Ulrich said, and then got up.

"You trust him, don't you?" Jeremy asked.

Ulrich hesitated, and then replied, "He saved my life. How can I not trust him?" He walked to the door and turned again. "Come on, Odd. We can't let Jim catch us again." The two other teenagers then left the room, leaving Jeremy all alone and frustrated.

Jeremy slammed his fist on the table, and removed his glasses. "Guess I should get some sleep." He then changed and got into bed. After a few hours of staring at the ceiling, he finally fell asleep.

The Next morning (Saturday)

The groups of friends were all gathered in Jeremy's room listening to Kenue as he explained the five generals.

"As I told you last night, there are five of them, one for each sector. And, again as I said before, they each have a special group of monsters. Siyri's group is a lot like you, Ulrich. They cannot, however, 'triplicate'. The other four are Jeska in the desert, she has spearmen; Gulia in the ice region, she has monks, which is one way to put it; Lura in the mountain, she has spiders; and the most powerful of them all is Fala. She doesn't have a group of monsters; she has a bit of them all, plus she protects X.A.N.A."

"They must be powerful… How were they created?" Aelita asked.

"What I want to know is why we've never seen them before," Jeremy interjected.

"Easy. I kept them and their creatures at bay. If they are distracted, they cannot direct their forces. So, with my help, you are all still alive," Kenue responded. "And as to how they were created. Like every other monster. But, they each have a part of X.A.N.A. in her."

"And you think we can trust you?" Jeremy asked.

"All right, Jeremy. You are the only one who seems to have a problem with me. So, I'll let you on a little secret. The rest of you, leave," Kenue said, a little angrily.

The other four left the room, and closed the door behind them.

"Someone has anger issues…" Odd said.

"Well, they both kinda do," Yumi said.

"Whether he likes it or not," Ulrich said. "Those two have a lot in common."

All of the others nodded in agreement. A few minutes later, the door opened.

"You guys can come in now, if you want. But Kenue is gone. I'm going to work on a way to destroy X.A.N.A., I think. I suggest you all work on your homework," Jeremy said, and started typing on the computer.

Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd all looked at each other and left, but Aelita stayed behind.

"Are you ok, Jeremy?" she asked, and approached him.

"I'm fine. You go enjoy your day off, ok?" Jeremy then turned and smiled at her. "Seriously, I'm fine. Thanks for caring, Aelita."

"No, problem Jeremy," she said, then kissed him on the cheek and left.

Interesting plot development, no? Well, not as good as I was hoping, but it's still good, right?

_R.S._


	6. Chapter 6

The Champion of Lyoko

Well, as some of you may or may not have noticed, I got my stories a bit mixed up in the last chapter. But it really didn't affect the plot, so it doesn't matter. I hope. I'm just lettin' ya know. Anyways, a new plot development occurs in this chapter. There will be a good fight scene; I swear it will be done. (Can ya name that quote?)

_Rurouni Sano_

_I do NOT own Code: Lyoko_

_But it would be kick-ass if I did._

At the school

"I wonder what Kenue told Jeremy," Ulrich wondered aloud. They were all at the cafeteria, eating lunch, except for Jeremy. It was unusually quiet, but it was a Saturday; most kids probably had better things to do.

"Can I have that?" Odd asked Aelita. "Of course, if you're not going to eat it, that is." Ulrich looked at her plate; it was untouched.

"Come on, Aelita," Yumi said. "You have to eat. You've been eating less since Kenue appeared."

"I'm sorry. I've just been thinking too much. You're right, Yumi. Thanks," Aelita said, then dug into her food.

Jeremy's room

"Will it work?" Jeremy asked. He was studying intently at a formula Kenue had devised.

"Of course it will work," Kenue replied. "I've been developing it ever since X.A.N.A. started showing up. So, where are the others?"

"Eating lunch. Well, at least Odd is. He eats like an elephant," Jeremy said jokingly. However, the remark fell upon deaf ears.

"Well, I'll unveil my plan to all of you when the rest arrive. Just let me know when they get there," Kenue said, and then left.

Jeremy hardly noticed the disappearance, though. What Kenue had produced was a formula that would enable X.A.N.A. to be destroyed on Lyoko. And once that form was gone, the monster wouldn't be able to terrorize Lyoko, thus making a human form on Earth.

Or so the two hoped.

Later that day, in Jeremy's room

By now, the others had gotten a majority of their schoolwork done and were all relaxing in Jeremy's room. Jeremy was sitting at his computer, still working on some obscure project. Odd, as usual, was sitting on the floor, scratching Kiwi behind the ears. Yumi and Aelita were sitting on the bed, and Ulrich was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"It's gotten a bit boring… X.A.N.A. hasn't attacked all week," Ulrich commented.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Aelita asked.

"I guess. It's just that he's been too quiet lately," He responded, and then quiet reined once again.

Suddenly Jeremy cried out in glee. "Finally!"

All of the others gathered around the computer to see what was going on, but all they saw was a bunch of symbols. It took even Aelita a few minutes to understand it.

"Wait, is that?" she asked.

"What is it?" Odd asked, dropping Kiwi to the floor.

"It's the formula to destroy X.A.N.A. on Lyoko," Kenue, appearing, said. "Between Jeremy and I, we were finally able to get out all of the 'kinks' that I couldn't do on my own."

"So, you trust him now?" Aelita asked Jeremy playfully.

"So, how does it work?" Ulrich interjected.

"It's simple," Jeremy said, leaning back, then adjusting his glasses. "We just are missing one thing…"

"What is it?" Ulrich asked, desperate to know how to end their struggle.

"X.A.N.A's code. It's like your DNA," Kenue said. "Only thing is, I need you guys to distract X.A.N.A long enough for me to get what we need."

"Can't we go with you?" Yumi asked.

"No. When you guys are in Carthage, I can't enter, and vice-versa," Kenue said.

"Tell us how it works," Ulrich practically demanded.

"Easy, Ulrich. All in due time," Kenue said.

"I'll tell you know, Ulrich," Jeremy said. "It's a lot like how the Five generals weapons work. All we have to do is take out X.A.N.A. with a weapon with the virus implanted in it. Of course, we don't have enough resources to go around, so we only can get it onto one weapon. I suggest Odd…"

"Ulrich," Kenue interjected.

"What?"

"Ulrich should be the one with the virus weapon."

"But Odd has arrows; he'll be able to hit them from a range."

"If Odd had the virus with him, he might hit one of the others with an arrow accidentally. The same with Yumi. Therefore, Ulrich, with a sword, should be the one carrying the virus."

Jeremy thought it over, and then turned to Ulrich. "So, what do you think, Ulrich?"

"I'll do it," he responded, without hesitation.

"Good," Kenue said. "However, if you want to take down the Five generals, you'll need some more training. Get to Lyoko, and we can begin."

On Lyoko, in the desert region…

"All right, Ulrich. As I said before, you need some more training. One thing first though that you have to swear. As part of your training, and me being your master, you have to swear to do whatever I tell you, in training or otherwise, both here and your world. Understand, Ulrich?" Kenue asked.

"Of course," Ulrich said.

"Swear it."

"I swear to obey your every command both on Earth and Lyoko."

"Good. Now, we can begin."

Suddenly, Kenue leaped at Ulrich, thrusting his spear. However, Ulrich had been expecting this, and drew his katana, knocking the spear out of the way.

"Good. Your reflexes are faster than I thought they were. Not bad at all. However, we've only just begun!" Again, Kenue leaped at him, slower this time. Perplexed, Ulrich blocked the attack, and then he understood. Kenue launched into a flurry of strikes, making it almost impossible for Ulrich to defend himself against. Kenue did manage to land a few blows, but not as many as he had thought.

"You're better than I had believed, Ulrich. And don't worry about being hit by me; I've set this thing to non-lethal damage. Again!" Again he leaped forward, but Ulrich successfully blocked the attacks. Then, Ulrich triplicated and finally managed to land a hit on the fighter. However, Kenue was able to land many blows on Ulrich before he gotten a chance.

"Do not do that while facing the Five generals. It will make it only easier to destroy you. Now, let's really fight. Sword against sword." Kenue twirled his spear around, and then got short to the point of being a sword. "Come."

Ulrich reunited himself, and was about to charge at him, and then realized that it wasn't the best thing to do. He finally began to approach Kenue calmly and slowly, thinking about his first move.

Kenue noted this with approval, and nodded. "Well done Ulrich," Kenue said as he began approaching the young man. "One assignment for you. The next time X.A.N.A. attacks, I want you to be the only one fighting against the monsters. Think you can do it?" he asked tauntingly.

"Of course I can."

"Great. Let's go!" The two charged at each other, and clashed blades. Kenue raised his twin-edged sword a little and slipped past Ulrich's guard. However, Ulrich lowered his katana a little, raised the tip, and stabbed upward. Both swords made contact, but Ulrich came off worse for the wear. He went flying and hit a boulder in his path.

"Give up, kid?" Kenue taunted.

Ulrich responded by charging at him. Kenue got into his charging position and did the same. Both went flying past each other, and no strikes could be seen. However, Ulrich fell to the ground, and Kenue put a hand to his arm.

"Not bad kid," Kenue grunted. "Haven't been hit that hard in a while." He went over to the teenager and helped him up. "That's all for today. X.A.N.A. approaches. Remember, you are the only one to fight. Don't worry about Jeska, I'll take care of her group. Soon, though, don't expect this much help from me. Just have Jeremy send Aelita in when it's time. See ya." Kenue then ran off towards a black spot in the distance.

"You ok, Ulrich?" Jeremy asked over the intercom.

"Yeah, no problems. Where are they coming from?" Ulrich asked, still feeling a little stupid when he seemed to be talking to himself.

"The North-East. Hold on, I'm sending in the others."

"Don't. I want to do this on my own." Ulrich then charged in the opposite direction of Kenue. "Just send in Aelita when the coast is clear."

"Are you sure, Ulrich? Can you do it by yourself?" He heard Yumi ask worriedly.

"Of course. Shouldn't be too hard." Ulrich then saw the monsters, and the red tower. Good, not too many.

_How was that? I hope it was good enough for you guys. Well, see ya soon!_

_R.S. R&R (Read and Relax!)_


End file.
